Chesterton Town Council Member Jim Ton, R-1st, is calling House Bill
1450—which would replace the current membership of the NICTD Board with city
mayors, most of them from Lake County—“wrong-headed.”

At the council’s meeting Monday night, Ton took a moment to voice his
objection to a bill which, he said, would not only “slant” a newly
reconstituted NICTD board “toward Lake County” but deprive Duneland of any
direction representation.

Under the proposed bill, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation
District’s board would have seats for four Lake County mayors, for the
mayors of Valparaiso and Portage, and two mayors from LaPorte and St. Joseph
counties.

“I’m not pleased at all that passengers under this bill would be excluded,”
Ton added. “And while the mayors of Portage and Valparaiso are fine people,
I don’t know how they can represent us. We have one of the largest stations
at Dune Park, in Westchester Township.”

Currently, Porter County Commissioner John Evans, R-North, has a seat on the
NICTD board, as does County Council Member Sylvia Graham, D-at large.

“It’s wrong-headed and I urge our legislators to keep it in committee,” Ton
concluded.

At the moment, State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso—who is assigned to the
House Transportation Committee—has not decided whether the bill will get a
hearing.

Meanwhile, Member Nick Walding, R-3rd, told Street Commissioner John
Schnadenberg how impressed he is with the job being done by the salt brine
sprayed on road surfaces in advance of snow events. The brine acts to
enhance and quicken the melting qualities of the road salt and can be
applied several days before a forecast snow.

“It’s good to know the salt brine is doing its job,” Walding said.

Tootsie Roll
Drive

In other business, members agreed by consensus to authorize the Knights of
Columbus to hold its annual Tootsie Roll drive on Friday, May 31, and
Saturday, June 1.

CEDIT Workshop

Members also agreed to hold a workshop on 2012 CEDIT earmarks at 5 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 11.